Celebrating Journalistic Excellence

The Atlantic Journalism Awards, established in 1981, is a highly regarded annual program which recognizes journalistic excellence and achievement in print and electronic news media in Atlantic Canada. The AJAs is a federally incorporated non-profit organization and is directed by a volunteer industry Board of Directors. The project is financed by a number of supporters.

In recent years close to 400 entries have been received from Atlantic Canadian journalists in the 23 print, radio, and television categories. There are also a number of journalism student awards. Entries are submitted in English et aussi en francais.

Finalists are selected from the entries by panels of independent judges. They are recognized at provincial AJAs luncheons. The overall winners will be announced at the awards ceremony and gala dinner Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel.

Since the inception of the AJAs, nearly 1,100 individual Atlantic Canadian journalists have been honoured for their journalistic excellence.

CBC Atlantic has been nominated for 16 awards...we are proud to showcase our nominees below....

2013 Winners

Anthony Germain

Best Information News Radio Program (Selected Program)

NDP Interview - CBC Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s, N.L.

Federico Cahis/Steve Bruce

Breaking News/Spot News: Television

Stanhope Fire - CBC Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown, P.E.I.

CBC PEI's coverage of the devastating fire at the Stanhope Beach Resort illustrated what can be done when two skilled video-journalists are motivated to get a story to the viewers as quickly as possible. When Federico Cahis and Steve Bruce got wind of the late afternoon fire, they did not have time on their side. There was less than an hour to go before Compass' 5 o'clock newscast, a 20 minute drive to the scene, and a new piece of technology they'd have to use to feed footage back to the newsroom. That's all in addition to filming and interviewing those on scene, setting up for a live report off the top of the newscast, tweeting up to the minute content, and calling in live reports to CBC's radio newcast and afternoon show. It was a lesson in time management and multi-tasking that the two VJ's pulled off without a hitch.

Mari Ito, Dean Gallant, Nancy Waugh, Mackenzie Grisdale, Doug Kirby

Best Multimedia Feature

Halifax is about to right a 45-year wrong: tearing down a controversial tangle of roads and ramps in the city's downtown. When the Cogswell Interchange exchange was built, it was originally the first step in a waterfront freeway. It divided the city. Its demolition creates opportunity to build something beautiful that unites the citizens.Our project looks at how we got here, and could happen next.

Myfanwy Davies/Christina Harnett

Feature Writing, Radio

Remembering Christopher: Every Day is Remembrance Day - CBC New Brunswick – Fredericton, N.B.

Easter Sunday 2007 was one of Canada's bloodiest days in Afghanistan.Six Canadian soldiers were killed when the light armoured vehicle they were in hit a roadside bomb, about 75 kilometres west of Kandahar City.One of them was Master Corporal Christopher Stannix, 24 years old, a reservist with the Princess Louise Fusiliers in Halifax.His mother Kate was the Silver Cross Mother in McAdam, New Brunswick during Remembrance Day Ceremonies this year.His father Ken has rarely talked to the media about their loss.They both spoke at length to the CBC's Myfanwy Davies, about their son and how they've coped with the tragedy of his death.

Rachel Cave

Enterprise Reporting

Not Working - CBC New Brunswick – Saint John, N.B.

This investigative series revealed how non-medical WorkSafe employees were routinely overruling doctors in the treatment of patients suffering workplace accidents and also denying compensation awards in large numbers to accident victims who were later found to have legitimate claims by the body's own appeals tribunal. The series also showed how savings from restricted benefits to injured workers had allowed workplace compensation premiums for employers to be lowered 40% in three years. After the series aired, the province announced a system-wide review.

2013 Finalists

Information Morning Saint John

Best Radio Newscast (Selected Newscast)

Information Morning 7:30 News - CBC New Brunswick - Saint John, N.B.

Michael Richard LeBlanc

Commentary, Any Medium

Private Dick from Nackawic - CBC New Brunswick – Moncton, N.B.

Some twenty years after the tri-communities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe adopted a blue bag/green bag garbage system, citizens still apparently can't tell blue from green. When the local authority started cracking down on mal-sorted garbage, the citizenry erupted en masse. A situation ripe for satire. Michael put together a creative team behind a radio skit that managed to give everyone a good laugh over it all.

CBC New Brunswick at 6

Best Television Newscast

CBC New Brunswick - Fredericton, N.B .

Carolyn Ray

Online News Reporting

Remembering Rita MacNeil - CBC Nova Scotia – Halifax, N.S.

The death of Cape Breton music icon Rita McNeil shocked people around the world. In the hours after the news spread, tributes poured in from friends, family, politicians and fans. This article looks at MacNeil's vast accomplishments, which went well beyond her music career.

Gavin Simms

Feature Writing, Radio

Redemption Story - CBC News – Moncton, N.B.

Every town has a handful of people who hunt for recyclables. Moncton has an armful. Over the past couple years, collecting has become a full-time job for dozens of Monctoners. Bottles and cans left out for pick-up around town are gone without a trace before sunrise and redemption centres are working overtime to keep up. They come from all walks of life, whether homeless or selfless, and have taken to recyclables as a means of helping themselves and others through hard times. This story captures the heart of three "pickers" and gives the listener a chance to appreciate what it's like to thrive on what others throw away.

Information Morning Fredericton

Best Information News Radio Program (Selected Program)

The LaPierre Scandal - CBC New Brunswick - Fredericton, N.B.

The Louis LaPierre scandal in September 2013 left plenty of questions to be answered by the province's political leaders. LaPierre had been a constant through many governments, called upon for his scientific expertise to resolve some of most sensitive environmental issues faced by the province. A Radio-Canada and CBC investigation revealed it was a career built on fake credentials. The series of revelations ended in LaPierre's public confession on the front pages of a Moncton newspaper and his resignation as chair of the province's new energy institute.

Kathryn King/Peter Gosse

Best Multimedia Feature

Lindsay Bird

Video Journalist: Television

Show of Work - CBC Newfoundland and Labrador – St. John’s, N.L.

I cover a swath of Newfoundland from the Baie Verte to Bonavista Peninsulas

Matthew Bingley

Videojournalist, Television

Show of Work - CBC New Brunswick – Saint John, N.B.

Cram all the work of a reporter, shooter, and editor into one person and you get a videojournalist. Here are three stories I thought were memorable from 2013. Battling freezing rain during the holiday ice storm, a feature on a quirky tour where everyone cycles in kilts, and a look at the changing life of fishermen on Deer Island.

Matthew Bingley

Feature Writing, Television

CBC New Brunswick - Saint John, NB - Deer Island Filipinos

This is a feature I produced on the changing demographics of Deer Island. The island sits off the south-west coast of New Brunswick and has seen its population shrink over time. I got a tip about an effort to turn that problem around; by bringing in temporary foreign workers from the Philippines.

Phonse Jessome

Enterprise Reporting: Radio

The Murder of Philip Boudreau - CBC Nova Scotia – Halifax, N.S.

Phonse Jessome is nominated for a series of radio reports from Petit-de-Grat, Cape Breton. Phonse travelled to the fishing community in the days after a local fisherman died after what RCMP called an "altercation" on the water. Phonse's reporting revealed something potentially much darker.

The Atlantic Journalism Awards recognizes journalistic excellence in print and electronic news media in Atlantic Canada. Over 400 nominations in 23 categories are received by the organization each year. For more information about the Atlantic Journalism Awards and all this year's winners visit www.ajas.ca.